HisGIS, or Historical Geographic Information System, is a project that makes the Netherlands’ early land and property records accessible through digital mapping. Its central initiative is to digitise the country’s oldest complete land registry, dating from 1832. The resulting interactive map brings historical information about land use, buildings and ownership into a modern geographic environment, covering approximately three million parcels.

Visitors can explore cadastral maps from 1832 alongside present-day administrative boundaries and other historical and contemporary map layers. Available resources include topographic and military maps from 1850, Bonne maps dating from 1865 to 1930, aerial photography, soil and geomorphological maps, elevation data, and OpenStreetMap. Users can search for modern or historic addresses, consult a legend, and adjust which layers appear on the map.

HisGIS also shares information about its projects and how to get started, and invites people to become volunteers. By combining historical records with interactive maps, the project supports exploration of how Dutch landscapes, property boundaries and built environments have changed over time.